In Another Universe
by itwasit
Summary: December 11th, 12:20 AM. An off-duty cop is shot. Her partner is standing right next to her when it all happens. He blames himself. Her best friend flies to New York overnight. She doesn't know anymore than what the emergency contact call told her. The partner and the girl have only heard stories about the other, but they might be the only ones who truly care.
1. A Meeting

"Excuse me? My name is Noëlle Reyan Jones. I got a call about Edit Janko; I'm her emergency contact. I want to see her."

"Miss Jones, we appreciate your concern for your sister and I'm sure she does as well. However, officer Janko is still in surgery at this time. For the time being, please take a seat. I'll send a doctor out to speak with you soon."

Frustrated, Reyan turned to look over the waiting room. Cops. So many cops. She picked out one of the last available seats and dropped into it with a heavy sigh. The young man next to her glanced over curiously. His hands were streaked with dried blood, as was his hair. It looked like he'd been running his hands anxiously through it, wiping the blood off in the process.

"What?" Reyan asked him harshly.

"You're Eddie's sister. She never mentioned a sister. Always thought she was an only child. Didn't sound like she had much in the way of family, how she talked."

"I'm not her sister. I'm her best friend. Closest thing she's got to a sister though... Who are you?"

He cracked a small smile. "Officer Jamison Reagan. Janko's partner," he offered, extending his hand. "I was there, y'know, when this all happened. Feels like it's my fault. I should have seen it coming..."

Reyan shook her head slowly. "You're Jamie? I should've guessed," she leaned back in her chair. "Eddie talks about you nonstop, you have no idea. It's ridiculous; I've never heard her talk about anyone as much as she does you."

"She talks about me? Really?"

"Are you kidding? I live in Cali, you know? And she gets off a tour at six in the morning your time sometimes, so I get texts at three am:

' _rey you'll never believe what jamie said today. he thinks i shouldn't remake jaws! i mean are you kidding? it'd be 12 times better with cgi_ '

"But she never realizes I get those at 3 until after she wakes up and she'll keep apologizing for it. I don't mind really. It's nice of her - she cares and she wants to tell me about her day, y'know. Anyways, I don't have much of a set schedule either, so sometimes I'm at work at 3am and sometimes I'll have just gotten home to go to bed, but either way, I like the updates. They let me know Eddie's safe. Can't always check up on her from the other side of the country, but we both send each other those little 'here's what happened' texts and it's weirdly reassuring... I'm ranting now, sorry."

"No, no! It's okay. It's keeping my mind off what's happening in that operating room, so I'll take it," Jamie looks anxiously towards the doors. "It still doesn't quite feel real. I expect her to rush in, asking me what's happened, who got shot. But she won't. Because it's her this time. And instead of a life update last night, you got a call from St. Victor's hospital in Manhattan, telling you that she wasn't safe. I'm supposed to keep her safe. We're partners. I could have seen it coming! She couldn't have!"

"Reagan," Reyan says quietly, putting a hand gently on his arm. He manages to keep his composure, but still looks like he's about to start crying. "You two were off duty. No one would have seen that coming. You can't keep her safe every second of every day. I can't either, no matter how much I wish I could. You can't blame yourself for something that wasn't your fault. The only people to blame are the ones who took a shot at an innocent, off duty cop. You gotta understand that, okay?"

"Understanding it isn't going to make me feel any less guilty," he mutters, rolling his eyes.

"Don't roll your eyes at me! I'm trying to help. That's hard for me," she places a hand over her heart in mock hurt.

"Yes, mom..."

"Anyways," Rey flicks her right wrist up to check the time, "according to my calculations, it should be about seven-thirty in the morning on New York time. However, it still feels like four-thirty to me, so I'm going to try to get some sleep."

"Good luck with that."

"Here's to hoping, right?"


	2. Waiting Game

"...She still hasn't come out of surgery, Danny," Jamie's strained voice drifts into her hazy, half-asleep thoughts. "Listen, I'll let you know as soon I know anything. But I don't know anything right now. Believe me, I wish I did," a short pause as Danny speaks, then Jamie: "I know. You can't promise that though, anything could happen... Okay, I'll see you then. Positive thinking, yeah?" he laughs sadly as he hangs up the call.

Rey forces her eyes open. "Who was that?" she rasps.

"My brother, Danny. He's a detective at the 5-4 but I guess he pulled a few strings to get himself on this case. He'll be down here pretty soon, though I still don't know what he thinks he's gonna do."

"Not much more to do than wait. Take your statement. Wait some more..."

"Yeah, that's what I told him. But when Danny says he's gonna do somethin' it's hard to turn him off of it. Always been the stubborn one."

"How long've we been waiting? Jetlag's throwing me off."

"Probably been around seven or eight hours since they really started workin' on her. Based on my limited knowledge of medicine, that's not too long with the kinda injuries she must've sustained. Broken ribs, collapsed lung, and God knows what else," Jamie shudders. His hands are still caked in blood, and though Reyan hasn't been there since the beginning, she doesn't think the shock has really set in yet.

"Eddie's strong, Reagan. She's been through all kinds of shit and she's still fighting. She won't let this get the best of her either. I know she won't. She'll fight with everything she has in and then some. That's the Edit Janko I know," a soft smile lights up Reyan's face. Jamie mirrors her smile. His hands twist nervously in his lap.

"Y'know, I never really thought about it before. Not seriously."

"What?"

"What I'd do if Eddie wasn't around. Like really, truly gone. No chance of calling her up and going to get drinks at the end of a long day kind of gone. Whenever I think about Eddie not always being there it's just because one of us got promoted or transferred out. But we're still always there for each other. I need her to be there."

"You think about that a lot, do you? One of you transferring or getting promoted? Splitting up the legendary partnership of Reagan and Janko? About what kind of opportunities that presents?" Reyan raises an eyebrow suggestively. Jamie freezes. He knows he must have that deer-in-the-headlights look on his face but he doesn't have any idea how else to respond. Luckily for him, his moment of panic ends as he's saved by the metaphorical bell.

The operating room doors swing open in strangely anti-climatic sweep. "Family of Edit Janko?" asks the tall, brunette doctor who steps out. Both Reyan and Jamie stand up in a split second.

"Yes," they say together; not a question, but a statement. The doctor makes her way over in long, quick strides.

"I'm Doctor Alicia Morales. You're the family?" she inquires.

"Reyan Jones, FBI. I'm her best friend and emergency contact," Rey confirms, shaking the doctor's hand. "This is Jamie."

"Officer Jamie Reagan, ma'am. I'm her partner at the 12th," he returns the firm handshake.

"Fair enough. No family, then? Or just none here?"

"Well, uh, you might be better off askin' Janko that question, Dr. Morales. I don't think I'm qualified to answer," Jamie says slowly.

"Alright..." Morales pauses, "Edit's vitals have stabilized but she is still in serious condition. She suffered a collapsed lung and pneumothorax, which occurs when air fills the chest cavity and doesn't allow the lung to re-inflate. In addition she had some fairly serious bleeding from the gunshot wound itself, which was through-and-through. Though less serious, Miss Janko also has three broken ribs and a moderate concussion. She'll be staying here for a while, that's for sure."

"Is she awake?" Rey asks.

"At the moment, no. That would be for her own safety and comfort. We need to give the body time to begin to recover while unconscious. For her to be awake right now would also be extremely painful, although we already have her on heavy pain meds. That's not to say you can't see her, but she won't be conscious until tomorrow afternoon at the earliest. When she does wake up, we'll be adding some fairly strong sedatives to her meds and she may not be very lucid."

"Okay," Jamie's voice seems stronger now, knowing that Eddie will be okay. "I think we'd like to see her now anyway, if you don't mind."

"Of course. I'll get a nurse to take you to her room as soon as possible. You've done enough waiting," Dr. Morales offers an apologetic smile.

"Thank you," Reyan returns the gesture. "Oh, and doctor?" she adds as Morales begins to walk away.

"Yes?"

"Everybody calls her Eddie. Not Edit."

 **A/N: There are a few things I should probably say about this story. One: Yes, this is Jamko. Two: I do not own Blue Bloods. Three: There isn't going to be much of an update schedule here because I honestly don't know when I'll be writing, especially when I get off winter break and back into school. I hope you'll forgive me for that; I try my best. Anyways, thanks for reading! I hope y'all like In Another Universe so far because I sure do. Reviews are appreciated - tell me what you'd like to see in this story and I'll see what I can do! -whenthedark**


	3. Escape

Reyan and Jamie stand silently just inside the doorway of Eddie's room. The everything is white but the furniture, which is a neutral beige. The ventilator and an endless array of monitors stand guard around the bed. They provide a steady stream of white noise, even rhythms all overlapping each other.

"Her condition is, as I'm sure you were told, is serious, but stable,"the nurse explains. "She'll be in the ICU for a few days at least. Once her doctor deems it safe to ease her off the ventilator and allow her lungs to start working in their own again, it won't be long until she's in a more private room upstairs."

Reyan nods slowly, her eyes not leaving Eddie. "Thank you," she murmurs. Jamie's hand is wrapped tightly around Rey's wrist. It's been like that since they walked in. He still hasn't moved. The nurse nods as well, a tight smile on his face. With a final glance at all three of them, and Eddie's vitals on the monitors, he walks quietly out of the room.

Jamie takes a deep breath, finally relinquishing his hold on Reyan's wrist. His breathing falls in time with the steady hum of the ventilator. "She doesn't look peaceful," he manages, "Why do people always say that?"

"She looks like she should be in pain. She's recovering from a bullet wound to the chest. What's so peaceful about that, right?" Rey's voice is bitter, her eyes filled with pain at the sight of her best friend. The Eddie she remembers is bright and full of life, always with a sharp comeback and a blinding smile. Eddie feels like coming home and her eyes bring peace and calm. This girl under the light hospital linens? This isn't her Eddie. It can't be. Can it?

She walks over to the chair beside the bed without making a sound. Her feet hardly seem to touch the ground. Jamie follows close behind, like he's walking in a dream. They sit, Rey on Eddie's left and Jamie on her right. Rey takes Eddie's hand gently. _This isn't Eddie._ Her hand isn't cold, but it doesn't feel right. Her hand is limp, the life seems gone. She feels like some sort of porcelain doll. Like Reyan could break her with little more than a touch. Rey lays Eddie's hand back down, smoothing out the blanket. "Sorry," she whispers to the unconscious body on the bed.

Jamie stand up suddenly. "I can't be here," he says, "It's all my fault! I did this. I can't be here anymore..." his breathing quickens, his words running together. He backs towards the door, gasping for air.

"Jamie..." Rey starts, "It wasn't-"

"No!" Jamie says. He isn't shouting but it feels like it. His voice is quiet but firm, choking back tears. "I'm sorry. Not now." With that he walks out the door, hurrying down the hall.

* * *

His first course of action is to find the nearest bathroom. He ends up in one in the hall outside the ICU. It's quieter out here, but not silent. At least he's escaped the constant noise of the machines, and the codes, and the doctors yelling orders. He just stands there for a moment, taking in the calm.

He turns the water on at the sink, making it painfully hot. He just wants to feel something besides this numbness. The steaming water runs red as it washes over his shaking hands. He scrubs the rust-colored blood from the creases in his hands. Under his nails it's dried until it's nearly black. Looking at himself in the mirror, he realizes it's smeared through his hair. He rinses his face, scraping the last of it from his hairline. After he cools the tap down a bit, he sticks his head under it as best he can. The water runs pink for a minute, then clears.

It's not until Jamie's hair is already clean and dripping wet, that he notices that there aren't any towels in this small hospital bathroom. Improvising, he takes off his jacket and rubs his hair as close to dry as possible. Then, he pulls the jacket back on, zipping it up to cover the last of Eddie's blood, soaked into his white t-shirt. _Eddie's blood,_ he thinks.

By the time Jamie finally leaves the bathroom it's been almost twenty minutes. But as he walks farther and farther from the ICU, no one gives him a second glance. Even better, it feels good to be clean; to not have his own partner's blood all over him. He's calmer now.

He's spent far too much time in St. Victor's hospital in his relatively short life. He walks his path silently. He's walked this same route dozens of times. _Too many cops get shot_ , he thinks. _Too many brothers, too many partners. At some point it all has to get to be too much._ He doesn't know when that'll be but this time felt pretty damn close. He feels like he's breaking.

"She has to make it," he says to himself as he pulls open the doors. His destination: the chapel. Jamie Reagan certainly cannot call himself the perfect Catholic, but he can always find some sort of comfort here. While Eddie feels like coming home, the St. Vic's chapel feels like open arms of safety. So it's only when he's sat himself down in a pew, that he allows himself to truly feel the pain. He sits, shoulders shaking with sobs, as the reality of everything really hits him. He suddenly can't breathe again, but feels everything now. His mind races through the events of the previous night in flashes. It's all right there:

 _Eddie's bright smile as she laughed at something he'd said. The calming flash of her blue eyes when she glanced up at him. In a second it all changes. The flash of the gunshot, the echoing of the bang. Bright red blood spreading across the front of Eddie's pale pink shirt. The mix of surprise and pain on her face. Him hardly noticing how close he was to his own gunshot wound, instead dropping to the ground, trying to keep the blood in her body. Untouched snow darkened by an ever-growing stain of blood, illuminated by the streetlights. The roaring of the car's engine as it sped away._

When his brain finally slows down, he's exhausted. Taking shaking breaths, he wipes the tears from his face with his sleeve. He hasn't slept in almost thirty-six hours and it's beginning to take its toll. Alone in the chapel, he lays down across his pew. It's not comfortable but he'll take it. Every time he closes his eyes it all comes back again, but the relief of being able to simply lie down is still welcome. The only thing that would make this more bearable would be if Eddie was here with him.

 **A/N: Happy (almost) New Year, y'all! I thought this might be a good enough way to celebrate.** **This is my favorite chapter I've written so far, to be honest. I liked writing Jamie's bit a lot, so I hope you all like it just as much. I seem to be confronted with a bit of writer's block every time I try writing the next chapter (mostly because I'm never happy with how I'm writing Danny), so I'm not quite sure how soon our next update will be, but I'm working on it. Wish me luck...**

 **Another thing I'd like to address is that I've made this story (also Reyan!) an aesthetic collection or whatever you call it on We Heart It. So if any of y'all happen to use WHI and are interested, my user on there is itwasit .**

 **I hope you all have an amazing start to your new year! 'Til we meet again - whenthedark**


	4. Brothers

Reyan Jones wakes from another restless sleep in another stiff hospital chair. She groans as she sits up, blinking the remnants of sleep from her eyes. Her gaze lands first on Eddie - still silent and unconscious in her bed - then on the shadow that looms from the doorway. The shadow, it turns out, is attached to a rather tall man with a badge on his hip. He leans casually on the door frame; watching, waiting. He looks familiar somehow, but Reyan can't quite put a name to the face.

"Good morning, sleeping beauty," the nameless man laughs, pushing himself off the door frame and into the room.

"And who might you be?" Reyan asks defensively, confusion evident on her face as she continues to search for a reason for this man's familiarity.

"Detective Daniel Reagan, out of the 5-4. This-" he gestures widely toward Eddie, "is my case."

"Danny?" she says in her tired voice.

"That's what they call me," he says, "That or 'You bastard, I'll kill you.' It really depends on how well you know me, y'know."

"I'm Reyan Jones, FBI, out of California. Rey if you want. And you... you are absolutely _nothing_ like Jamie."

"Jamie? Where is that kid anyways? I figured he wouldn't've left her side."

"I... I don't think he really wanted to. But he, uh, he blames himself for all of this happening apparently, and he sort of ran off shortly after we got to see her. I haven't seen him since."

"The kid has some guilt issues. He's really not working on it. I'm sure he's here somewhere though. He wouldn't really leave his beloved partner," Danny smirked.

Rey smiles, "Oh, you wouldn't believe all the stories I've heard from Eddie about the two of them. I imagine the versions I hear are far more detailed than yours. Sometimes she says things that make me wish I could fly all the way out here in the middle of the night just so I could shake her and ask her what the hell she thinks she's doing."

"I swear, those two are the worst kept secret in NYPD history. And the only people who are oblivious to it are them. We've got a pool going, y'know? Over when they'll finally get together. Half the department's probably in on it by now, including some of my dad's people," he shakes his head, laughing.

"You think I could place my bet?"

"Sure, kid. I've gotta change mine since all this happened anyway. What you got?"

"Fifty bucks says they're together - officially - within two weeks of Eddie getting out of here."

"Oh, we'll have to see about that, Jones. I've got fifty for within a week of this date. My partner, Baez's got thirty if it's by Valentine's day."

"Maybe we should consult the man himself..."

"Jamie? Nah, he keeps his mouth shut. Unless it's one of us Reagans askin', then he just gets pissed off."

"Well if you can find him, you ask him for me, yeah? I've got a few phones calls I should have made by now," Reyan says with a glance at her watch. She walks out of the room, dialing as she does, leaving Danny and Eddie with only the noise of the machines for company.

* * *

Danny stood uncomfortably next to Eddie's bed for a few moments more, then sighed and turned to walk out of the room. It was far past time to figure out where Jamie'd disappeared to. He passed Rey on his way down the hall. She was still on the phone, but raised one eyebrow at him questioningly as he passed by.

" _Jamie_ ," he mouthed to her. She nodded, gave him a thumbs up, and returned her full attention to her call. he returned the gesture with a slight smile that looked more like a grimace. This was gonna be fun.

His first stop was the hospital cafeteria, thinking that maybe Jamie had eventually gotten hungry in the hours he'd been MIA. That was a bust. The cafe was full of doctors and seemingly unworried visitors. No sign of Jamie.

Next stop, the small courtyard outside. Open air, and plenty of quiet for thinking. No one would disturb you there - unless, of course, you happened to be Jamie Reagan. Much to Danny's disappointment, not a single person was to be found in the courtyard, least of all Jamie.

Danny stopped in the center of the open space, scanning it one final time. Here it was silent, undisturbed by the constant movement and nervous energy of the hospital. Why wouldn't Jamie have retreated here? He groaned inwardly. Sometimes he thought the kid was more trouble than he was worth. Now was a prime example of that feeling.

As he began his defeated walk back to the ICU, a small sign on the path caught his eye.

' **Chapel** ,' the sign read, with a small arrow pointing him to the left of the fork in the path.

 _Of course,_ he thought.

* * *

The path led him right to the small chapel, it's main entrance disconnected from the hospital itself. Danny had been in here what felt like a thousand times. How could he have forgotten? He pushed open the door, and stepped quietly inside.

He walked down the center aisle as quietly as he could, glancing into every pew. He found what he was looking for in the sixth pew on the right. There in the half light was his littlest brother, curled up and fast asleep on the wooden bench. It was a sight, really.

"Jamie..." Danny said, sitting down next to his feet. "Hey, kid, wake up," he shook him gently.

"Hmmm?" Jamie murmured, stirring.

"Time to get up, genius. Its almost three in the afternoon."

"What?" Jamie asks, sitting up slowly. His movements are stiff after the nap on his makeshift wooden bed. "I was just lyin' down for a second..."

"Couple hundred seconds, more like," Danny laughs. "What'd you think you were doing running off out here like that, anyways? I think you mighta scared Eddie's little friend with that trick."

"I dunno, Danny. I just couldn't do it anymore. Couldn't be in there. Not knowing that I was right there with her and I didn't see anything wrong; didn't do anything to protect her."

"Kid, I honestly don't think you could have done a thing if you tried. Neither one of you saw it comin', she wasn't wearing a vest. She's just lucky you were there at all. You probably saved her life, Jamie. You understand that?"

"She shouldn't have gotten shot in the first place! Being a cop doesn't mean risking your life every second of every day. It doesn't mean spending your entire life watching the shadows, looking around every corner, protecting yourself from something that may or may not exist. We shouldn't have to consider our own safety a luxury. But we do. I do. Eddie probably will for the rest of her life."

"If Eddie hadn't been a cop she might've still ended up here. Except in that universe, you weren't right there with her. In another universe, she's lying in the morgue right now instead of a bed in the ICU, alive. Which do you prefer?"

"Why would she have still gotten shot?" Jamie pauses, searching his brother's face. It's not necessarily an odd thing to say, but something feels off in the way he said it.

"Jamie... Baez and I have been able to do a little searching for possible suspects of what little information we have. So far, our suspect pool comes from two areas. First, we have to consider that that Serbian trafficking ring has resurfaced and come after her. But we also think that this could have something to do with her father's business dealings."

"Great!" Jamie exclaims, "You want to tell me that some guy was hurt by Armin Janko and his excuse for a Pozi scheme, so years later he tries takin' it out on the guy's only kid. What a brilliant idea!"

"With Armin in jail, Eddie may be the first available target for our guy. She's been in the papers 'cause of the job; it'd be pretty easy to put the name to the crime. Our guy figures this out, goes after our girl. From what we know, Eddie's mom, Iskra, moved herself back to the suburbs after the trial and doesn't have much to do with either Armin or Eddie. We think she's safe. But Jamie, right now we think that this angle is the most likely explanation for everything."

"This is crazy... Absolutely crazy, you know that?" Jamie asks, shaking his head. Its a lot to take in all at once.

"I know, kid. Believe me, I know."

 **AN: This is the longest chapter I've written yet, so here's to that! Uploads for this story might continue to get more spaced out as I get back into school, and as I figure out how to write all of this. Right here is where I stopped my planning of what to write. That's a mistake I'll probably regret later.**

 **As always, reviews are appreciated. I'll see you next time. Until then, -whenthedark**


	5. Supergirl

By the time Jamie manages to walk himself back to Eddie's room it's just after six. Danny left for the 5-4 hours ago, leaving Jamie standing, cold and alone, outside the chapel. In the hours following, Jamie sat silently in the hospital cafeteria, eating around the olives in his pre-made salad. His thoughts were spinning around his head at a thousand miles per hour, but he kept coming back to one thing: Armin Janko.

If it hadn't been for Armin Janko and everything he did to his family and the people of New York, Eddie might be safe and sound at home right now. Instead, she was lying in the ICU in a medically induced coma. If it wasn't for Armin Janko, Eddie might've never been a cop. But at least then she would have been safe.

What Danny had said stuck with him. In another universe this all could have still happened. In another universe he might've never met Eddie. In another universe she's living the life she always thought she would have, not this nightmare. In another universe...

* * *

Reyan and Jamie sit across from each other in silence. Since Jamie came back, the two haven't said a single word, not even looked each other in the eye. Their eyes are locked on Eddie, their breathing in time with the ventilator. Jamie's fingertips run absentmindedly along her arm.

Reyan breaks first. She looks up at him; his features soft, but his eyes dark with worry.

"Jamie?" she says, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Hmm?"

"I, uh... The doctors came up here a couple hours ago. After Danny left. And they, they said that they want to take Eddie off the ventilator tomorrow morning. See how she does without it. If she's good without it, they'll ease her off the sedation. Best case, they said, she'll be awake by tomorrow night..."

You can see the spark of hope light in Jamie's eyes. His hand closes over Eddie's gently. "She'll be fine. It's cliche, I know, but Eddie's-" he pauses for a moment, takes a deep breath, and closes his eyes. "She's a fighter."

"Can I tell you a story?"

"Can I stop you?"

"You could leave again," Rey raises one eyebrow. Jamie replies with only a sharp glare.

"Okay..." Reyan begins. "Eddie's the strongest person I know. When we were younger, maybe fourteen or fifteen, Eddie and I would go out and just wander around the city. This was back when I'd just moved out here, and Ed showed me the best places to sit and think, and the shortcuts to school, and of course, the best places to eat. I loved this city more than anything. I mean, I'm a city kid too - Los Angeles, remember? In all the time we ran around the city, I always believed that Eddie was stronger than me. She was fearless, I thought, with the way she walked the streets whenever she wanted. She kept her keys in her hand and always had a sharp comeback for anyone who gave her shit.

It was only when we were in college that I realized I was wrong. A lot of stuff happened in college. Eddie got through it. She was dedicated to what she was doing: an MBA in finance. Until her junior year, when it all fell down. When the whole investigation into her dad started, I expected Eddie to be the strong one, to not be afraid of what would happen. I thought her mom would be the one to freak over it all. That's not what happened, if you hadn't guessed.

I was in Massachusetts for college, a year ahead of Eddie. Even down in Massachusetts, you couldn't quite escape the headlines. They weren't front page news, but it was there in bold black type: **NY Financial Advisor Armin Janko Investigated for Fraud**. I tried to ignore them just like everyone else. It worked until I got the first text from Eddie about it. She was freaking out. Her mother refused to speak to her father, and even in the beginning Ed knew how it was all gonna turn out. She knew her father was going to jail. And that's when I realized that Eddie's not fearless. She knows how to hide her fear. Which, I think, makes her stronger than any of us."

Jamie runs his hands through his hair, nervously rubbing the back of his neck. He says nothing.

"I started calling her Supergirl in college, y'know?" Rey laughs.

"Janko... She never tells me this stuff. It just comes up outta nowhere one day and she won't say a word about it. 'Jamie, it happened a long time ago. It's nothing.' Always the same. I don't know how to help her when she blows it off like that... And now Danny's saying that all of this could've happened because Armin. Someone going after her because they can't get to him. So we're stuck here, waiting for her to wake up, in the hopes that we might get her to talk about what her father did."

* * *

The six o clock news runs for an hour. It must be a slow news day in NYC, Reyan thinks, because at 6:53, this is the third time they've come back to the shooting since she turned the channel on.

"...daughter of convicted felon Armin Janko," the dark-haired reporter says without emotion. "According to police, it is not yet clear what motivated this attack on one of New York's finest. Officer Janko is in serious condition at Saint Victor's Hospital. We at Channel 2 wish her and those close to her good fortune in these hard times." With that, Jamie reaches over and shuts of the TV.

"I can't just sit here and watch them talk about her anymore. It's wrong. I think I'm gonna try to head home, at least change out of these clothes. Sleep if I can. You can tag along, if you want," Jamie says, standing and stretching. He grabs his coat off the back of the chair and pulls it on. Outside, in the glare of the parking lot lights, snow falls in heavy flakes.

Reyan looks at him for a moment, trying to figure out when exactly he changed. He stares back at her, waiting. She wraps a jacket around herself as she stands to follow him. It was the warmest thing she could find for a New York winter in her Los Angeles apartment.

"Night, Eddie," Jamie whispers. Eddie, of course, does not respond.

 **AN: Well, there's that. This chapter is kind of a mess, but I needed it as a bit of a filler and there's a lot I needed to address. Anyways, I'm really enjoying writing Reyan into this little story. It's a thing I do a lot -mentally writing my ocs into my own fic like this. It's nice to have an almost completely unbiased narrator like this.**

 **Reviews are, as alway, appreciated. -whenthedark**


	6. Sleep

After a short subway ride, Jamie and Reyan sit in silence in the back of their cab. Outside the snow is still falling heavily. Rey watches the flakes drift down in the light of the streetlights, thinking over the events of the past two days. Yesterday - it was really only yesterday - she had been walking to work under a warm, sunny sky. Now she was on the other side of the country, watching the snow like it was magic.

On the other side of the car, Jamie watches the streets pass without seeing them. The sound of the gunshot keeps echoing through his mind. The warmth of Eddie's blood seems to linger on his hands. He can still smell her perfume; light, like the spring. Her eyes, their clear blue clouded with pain, are still loooking up at him in his mind's eye. They beg him to help. ' _I can't,'_ he whispers, ' _I'm sorry.'_ Her bloody hands are still clutching his as they're loaded into the ambulance. The last thing she said to him sticks with him. ' _Jamie..._ ' she'd managed to say. She was drifting out of consciousness fast, then, the blood still pouring. ' _...don't go.'_

* * *

"Your stop?" the cab driver asks, drawing them both back to the present.

"Oh, yeah... Here," Jamie says, checking the meter. "Thank you. Have a nice night."

"The same to the both of you," the man replies with a courteous smile.

Rey slides out of the car following Jamie. She looks up at the building apprehensively, shivering in the cold. "I can't believe you live all the way in Brooklyn," she finally says.

"It's cheaper," Jamie shrugs. "Listen, you can wait in the lobby if you want. I'll only be a few minutes. I just need to grab a change of clothes and a few other things, then we're good. I'll bring you a better coat when I come back, too. Alright?"

"We're not staying?" Rey asks, tilting her head.

"No, I thought I'd get my stuff and we could stay at Eddie's for the night. Closer to the hospital, y'know."

"You have a key to her place? Aww, Jamie, that's so cute!" Rey teases. She can't help it, they always make it so easy.

"Shut up," Jamie blushes. "You remind me of my brothers, you know that?"

"Good. If I can't embarrass Eddie, I might as well do it to you. Anyway, why are you still standing here? I'd like to get back to Manhattan sometime today, Jamie."

"I'm going, I'm going! It'll take me ten minutes tops, I swear."

"Time starts now, Reagan," Rey taps her watch.

* * *

"Here we are," Jamie sighs, pocketing Eddie's key.

"It's actually exactly how I remember it," Rey laughs, "Eddie doesn't change much anymore."

"If you don't mind, I'm gonna shower and change. I figured you'd be hungry, and I'm sure there's no shortage of food in this place."

"Yeah," Rey muses, making her way into the kitchen. She opens cabinets until she find what she wants: a box of saltine crackers. Catching Jamie's confused look, she glares. "It's called comfort food, okay?"

"That's disgusting."

"What's disgusting is that you don't like olives. Or that Eddie doesn't like tomatoes."

"I'm allergic to olives, thanks. Are you one of those people who'll eat anything vaguely edible?"

"No," Rey says around a mouthful of saltines, "I'm just judgemental."

"Hey, I mean, at least you admit it," Jamie shrugs. "Enjoy your crackers."

"Jamie!" Rey calls as he retreats down the hallway, "I'm sleeping on the couch."

"You are not."

"Yes, I am. I called it first, you can't just take it!"

"God, you are so weird!" Jamie shouts back over the sound of the bathroom fan.

line break

Rey stands when Jamie comes out of his shower, hair dripping into his eyes. For the first timesince she's met him, his clothes are clean. "You clean up nice, Reagan," she smirks. "If I squint I think I might be able to see whatever it is that Eddie sees in you."

"Oh wow, thanks."

"You're welcome. You see this?" Rey sweeps one arm over the couch. "This is my bed. Don't touch it. You can sit in a chair, like a civilized person. If you want something to get your mind of all this, _Remember the Titans_ is on. Thanks for listening, I'll be taking my own shower now."

Carefully, Jamie sits in a chair. He manages to watch almost five minutes of the movie before drifting off once again. Here in Eddie's apartment it almost feels like she's with him. The whole place smells just slightly of that flowery perfume. He breathes it in deeply, and, for the first time since all of this he feels almost at peace.

When he wakes up it's to Reyan padding into the living room dressed in Eddie's clothes. "That's my sweatshirt," he murmurs, catching a glimpse of the Harvard logo.

"You two disgust me," Rey sighs exaggeratedly and turns to find something that actually belongs to Eddie. She comes back a minute later in a well-worn NYPD hoodie. "Better?" she asks.

"Sure," Jamie yawns.

"Go to bed, Reagan. It's almost ten. You've had a bad couple of days, you need the sleep. I'd say you could watch the end of the movie, but I don't like it all that much. Besides gymnastics, I've never been much into sports."

"Thanks, mom," Jamie smiles. "It's a good story, though. Whether you like it or not."

"I'll give you that. Now get out of my sight. I don't want to see you again until we need to leave for the hospital, you hear?"

"See you at seven sharp, Jones."

"You got it, Reagan."

* * *

Jamie stands in the doorway of Eddie's bedroom for a moment. It's a strangely intimate look into her life. He feels like he's intruding somehow. The sheets on the right side of the bed are still unmade, and the light for the alarm lit up on the clock. The nightstand is a complete mess, and in the middle of of it all there's a picture of the two of them. It's her favorite picture of them, actually, taken on New Year's Eve in Times Square the year before. He sits on the edge of the bed for a moment, just staring at it. He misses that smile.

When Jamie finally gives into his exhaustion and pulls the sheets tightly over himself, he feels strangely at home. He wonders again how her perfume seems to get on everything she touches. He could stay here forever, he thinks as he drifts off. As long as Eddie's okay.

 **AN: I keep pushing back the chapter I actually should be writing because I think it needs to be its own chapter. Sorry about that. When I started this it was one thing, but then I had so many thoughts with where this was going that the original plan got split up. At this point there's no way the next chapter won't be what y'all (and me) are waiting for, though.**

 **Reviews are greatly appreciated! Have a lovely day - whenthedark**


	7. Moving Day

Jamie Reagan woke the next morning with her sheets wrapped tightly around him. He could hear the TV still droning on down the hall where Reyan was supposed to be asleep. It was 6:47 a.m. – late for him, but it still gave them almost three hours until hospital visiting hours started at 9:30. With a sigh, he heaved himself out of the bed, disentangling his long legs from the blankets.

He pulled a clean set of clothes from his go bag and silently debated whether or not he could shower (in Eddie's apartment, his mind added) without waking Rey. He decided on no for more than one reason, tugging a blue t-shirt over his head instead. He padded over to the door where Eddie had inconspicuously hung a Harvard sweatshirt he thought he'd lost long ago. He pulled it on and ran one hand quickly though his hair, then went out to wake Rey in the nicest way he could manage.

"Reyan?" he whispered, "Hey, you have to get up now."

"Fuck off, Reagan," was her tired reply.

"Fine, I'll go see Eddie without you then."

"No, wait. I'm getting up."

"That's what I thought." He smirked.

Once they'd each finished preparing themselves, they headed out on the walk to St. Victor's. It wasn't a long walk, but with Rey lost in her thoughts and Jamie lost in his own, it could have been an eternity.

"Reagan, you know she loves you, don't you?" Rey finally gave in.

"We both know that. We both know everything, and I won't do anything about it and neither will she because then one of us is the one responsible. Then there's Renzulli, and maybe IAB, and my dad – god, my whole family actually – and everybody at the NYPD who've been taking bets on how long we can be 'just partners' since the day we started working together..." he sighed, "And I can't do that, you know? I can't face the entire department after I have to walk up to Renzulli and ask him to reassign 12-David because we are hopelessly, madly in love with each other. And Eddie won't ruin it because we're Jamie and Eddie; we're 12-David; we're legendary. We understand each other without a word and that's how we've lasted so long, and done so much. "

"...Jesus Christ, Reagan. You've got problems, man."

"Oh, believe me, I know it," Jamie gave her a sad smile.

"That right there? That could've been a whole therapy session."

"I don't do therapy."

"I think you might want to reconsider that."

"Oh, look! The hospital."

"You have a very convenient tendency of being saved by the bell."

* * *

"Officer Regan, Agent Jones, good morning. I'd like to make sure you both know what will be happening this morning. I believe you know that the plan is to get Officer Janko breathing on her own again. That is the goal, and if we're successful then Miss Janko will be moved up to a general room instead of the ICU. However, there is a chance that her body cannot yet handle the stress of being off the ventilator, and unfortunately in that case we'll have to leave it for later day. At this time, her vitals are stable and she's been recovering very quickly, so I believe that she'll do just fine."

"That's great news, doctor" Reyan smiled.

"If she's off the ventilator, how long will it take for her to regain consciousness?"Jamie asked.

"Once she's off the vent and settled into the general room, we'll begin easing her off sedation. If she wakes up as soon as the meds wear off it could be only a few hours. In some cases, the effects of the medication lingers and it could take some time for her to regain full consciousness."

"Okay. Let's go then," Jamie says, his voice full of fake confidence.

Eddie's doctor gestures for two nurse to come into the room. "Take her off the vent, please," she requests. As the nurses slowly ease the tubing out of Eddie's throat, the doctor's eyes stay steadily trained on the monitors.

"Jamie..." Reyan breathes next to him.

"She's breathing..." Jamie laughs nervously, "She's breathing."

"That's my girl." Rey beams, hitting Jamie's arm lightly.

The doctor turns back to them, concealing her own smile. "That went as well as I could have hoped. We'll keep her under close observation, but she's out of my care as soon as she leaves this room. I'll ask someone to make sure she's moved upstairs as soon as possible - we don't like anyone staying in the ICU longer than they have to. It was nice meeting you both." The doctor lays one hand gently of Jamie shoulder as she leaves, "Best of luck to you both, Officer Reagan," she smirks knowingly.

"Th-Thank you," Jamie stutters our in surprise.

* * *

"Room number is 412," Reyan informs him, walking in with an apple and a Sprite.

"Thanks," he murmurs, glancing up from his phone. "Danny says Dad wants to bring everyone in to see her when she's awake. I think it's his weird way of making up for Eddie's shitty family." He laughs, shaking his head. Really, he doesn't know how Eddie would react to the entire Reagan clan in her room. They're a lot to take in all at once, even without the shock that'll come from waking up from a two day coma. But he can't tell his dad that. Frank just wants to do the best for her.

"Jamie? I wanted to tell you that I'm gonna have to go soon. I want to see Eddie when she wakes up, but I need to be in California. My job... Well, they need me. But I know Eddie needs me too. I want her to know that I was here and I care but I can't stay with her, okay?"

"Of course," Jamie nods. "She'll be just fine, Reyan. Between the constant presence of what very well might be my entire family, and the revolving door of uniforms that'll be through here, Eddie'll hardly have a second to breathe. But either way, we'll take care of her, I promise. It's something the Reagans are painfully good at."

"Thank you..." she says, looking into his bright green eyes. "And you, Jamie Reagan," she points one finger accusingly, "You're gonna tell her everything, you hear me? Everything you've told me about her and how much you care. You both need that. You wouldn't believe the shit I have to hear about you every day. You two idiots are painfully in love with each other."

"We'll see," he concedes.

 **Hey y'all! That was... a somewhat unexpected hiatus. But I'm back! How did you like this chapter (even though it's like over a month late)? I appreciate all your reviews and feedback. As always -itwasit (Also, catch that username change)**


	8. The Car

Eddie Janko finally wakes from her two-day, medically induced coma at one in the afternoon. She lies there for a bit until her head stops swimming, and when she opens her eyes she's surprisingly lucid. She's met with more familiar faces than she can count, including Maria Baez, and what looks to be every living member of the Reagan family tree. But there is one person she doesn't quite expect: a short young woman standing with her back turned, watching the snow drift down outside. The bright red hair was the giveaway - the one thing she noticed even before she noticed Jamie's grip on her hand.

"Reyan?" she asks, wincing at both the sound of her voice and the dryness of her throat. With that one question, every eye in the room snaps to her. Danny startles at the sound, ending up with one hand resting on his gun, though she isn't quite sure how he's even allowed to have that in here.

"Eddie!" Reyan shouts, spinning around immediately.

"You scared the hell out of all of us, Janko," Frank Reagan says from his chair in the corner, accurately capturing the thoughts of everyone in the room.

"Do you remember what happened?" Danny asks. Baez smacks his arm and gives him a sharp glare that says ' _Not the time, Reagan_.' It's the same look she's shot to Jamie about a hundred times. Eddie nods in response.

"Because we're gonna need to talk about that later," Danny adds, "You too, Jamie."

"You already interrogated me, Danny," Jamie protests.

"I know. That's why she gets to do it this time." He grins, pointing a thumb at Baez next to him.

"What? No way... It's a one-time thing."

"Do you know anything yet?" Eddie interrupts, looking toward Baez instead.

"Danny sure doesn't," Jamie mutters

"Hey!"

"Boys..." Baez, Frank, and Erin warn at almost the same time, sharing a knowing look.

"We do have a solid lead," Baez continues. "One of the officers walking out of the precinct that night caught a license plate. But I'll leave it up to Danny to discuss that with you privately. We have, of course, traced the plates and gone to speak with him, but his information is not something we want spreading until we can get any kind of actual confirmation from a source - whether that be you or someone or something else - that he was involved."

"I'd like to talk about it now," Eddie says

"Ed..." Reyan sighs, "Don't you think it might be a little soon? You literally just woke up. Maybe you should take some time..."

"I'm _fine_ , Reyan. I just want this to be over."

"You got shot in the chest."

"Yeah, that's the point. I don't want to do that again." Jamie sits there watching the argument with an increasing look of amusement. His hand still rests over Eddie's and either no one else has noticed or they don't want to be _that person_ and point it out.

"Okay," Rey gives in. "Do what you want. I trust you and I need to get a flight back to LA anyway."

"You're leaving?" Eddie cries. Her blue eyes, still slightly clouded by pain, are filled with hurt.

"Eds, I have a job back there. I have people who need me, just like you do. These guys aren't gonna leave you, I promise. Especially Jamie. If Jamie leaves you call me. I stayed here for the part when I didn't know if you were going to be okay. But I know now, and I trust that you'll be back to your usual self real soon even without me. You know I love you, Eddie, but this is the other side of the country. It just doesn't work, as much as I wish it did. So yeah, I'm leaving, but that's only because I know you're safe here with the NYPD, and the Reagans, and everything else. Alright?"

"I haven't seen you in forever, Rey," Eddie whispers, hating how pitiful she sounds.

"I know. I'll call or text every day, just like always, I promise."

"You have to come tell me when you're leaving."

"I wouldn't dream of it any other way."

* * *

"Okay kid, what do you remember?" Danny asks her, pen poised over his notepad like some old-school detective.

"Can I get a more specific starting point?"

"Fine. Let me set the scene: It's the night of December eleventh and you and your partner have just gotten off tour. You're walking out of the precinct together, talking. Then a car comes down the street. Do you remember that car, officer Janko?"

"Sure. I was standing next to Jamie's car and this black car came down the street real slow. The headlights were off, which was weird because it was after midnight and it was snowing. I didn't quite dismiss it - because of the headlights but also because it reminded me of a car one of my dad's clients used to drive. That just kinda stuck out to me, I guess. I kept talking to Jamie though, and as it passed by I heard gunshots. That's when it starts to get less clear. I remember Jamie yelling, grabbing my arm. And Kara - I think it was Kara - yelling about there being a shooter and for someone to write down the plate numbers before she forgot. Someone else asked for a bus and that's when I realized that I wasn't in pain because Jamie had pulled me down" Eddie looks up at Danny slowly. Her fingertips trace the edges of the gauze taped to her skin.

"It's okay," Danny says. Looking into her tear-filled blue eyes he finds himself wishing that his little brother was here. Jamie always knew what to do about Eddie.

"I have never seen my partner look as absolutely terrified as he did then," Eddie finally continues, taking a shaking breath. "I couldn't breathe, and everything hurt, and his hands were all covered in blood. I don't think I was fully conscious at that point so I wasn't seeing and hearing everything, but he kept telling me to hold on - like I was going to try anything else..." she smiles slightly. "But his eyes, Danny, his eyes were so scared. And all I could think was ' _Why wasn't I wearing a vest?_ ' After that, I must've finally blacked out because the next thing I really remember is waking up here. I mean there's a few bits and pieces of voices while I was out, but nothing else from that night."

"That's good. That's _really_ good, Eddie. Can you tell me anything else about that car?"

"Back before he got locked up, my dad had a lot of clients. But there were a few that came over for dinners and went out golfing or whatever with him on the weekends. One of these guys was named Erich, fitting because he was rich and German. He was kind of a terrible person and he didn't like me much. But when I was like seventeen I thought he drove the _coolest_ car: an early eighties Monte Carlo, matte black.


	9. Splitting Up

"But I already told everything to Danny," Jamie argues. He an Baez have been sitting in the conference room for at least fifteen minutes, just staring at each other.

"Yeah, Reagan, I got that. Humor me." Baez raises an eyebrow at him.

"You do this to everyone?"

"No. Your brother just wanted you out of the room."

"Maybe he could've just asked me to leave."

"It's Danny, what'd you expect? Now come on and get it over with it."

"Alright," he sighs. "My partner and I were leaving the precinct after tour. This was the eleventh, since we got off at midnight. We were standing by my car talking, when some guy in a dark car comes down the street. Now it's dark, and it's snowing, and the only light on the road comes from the street lights, but this guy still doesn't have his headlights on. And I mean, that's weird of course, but I didn't think much of it. I didn't think much of it until three shots came from that car." Jamie shifts uncomfortably in his chair. His eyes are fixed on some nonexistent spot on the floor.

"I _think_ one of the shots grazed my car. Another went off somewhere, and the third hit Eddie. I- I grabbed her arm to pull her down - try and get us out of the line of fire - and when I looked at her her shirt was covered in blood. I could hardly see her in the dark, but her eyes were dark and pained. Someone was yelling about there being a bus on the way and someone else was yelling about getting the plates off the car. I wasn't thinking straight by then - I was freaking out, and Eddie kept drifting in and out, and her blood was all over my hands."

"Is that all?" Baez asks gently.

"Yeah... I got in the bus when it finally got there. When we got here, to St. Vic's, the docs took Eddie off some place and left me standing at the trauma doors. I finally ended up in the waiting room - still covered in blood - and now we're here." He shrugs tiredly.

"It was Kara Walsh who got the plates. I think you know her?"

"Yeah, uh, Walsh's a great cop."

Baez's phone buzzes and she pulls it out to find a text from Danny: _Ask him about the car. 81 Monte Carlo?_

"Danny wants to know if you can remember anything about the car that came by," she asks Jamie.

"Dark car - probably black. It was a Chevy, I saw the SS on the door. Looked like an older car though."

"Okay," she says, typing out a reply to her partner. ' _Jamie ID's car as dark colored Chevy - saw SS emblem. Says older model_ ,' she writes.

"You're free to go, Officer Reagan."

"Nice talkin' with you, Detective."

* * *

Jamie makes his way down to the cafeteria and grabs a salad in one of those plastic containers, then heads back upstairs. When he gets there it's not Danny's voice that he hears drifting out of the room, but Renzulli's.

"'Specially when I'm trying to explain something to him with out shouting out every detail for everyone to hear... Oh yeah, Jamie can be a real dumbass sometimes," he hears Eddie say, laughing.

"What's this I hear about my being a dumbass?" he asks as he walks in.

"Well speak of the devil," Renzulli says. "Took ya long enough, kid."

"I got lunch," Jamie explains, holding up his salad as evidence. Eddie wrinkles her nose at his choice, and Renzulli smiles at them.

"Tell him why he's a dumbass, Sarge," Eddie prompts enthusiastically.

"Well you see, Reagan, this is exactly why I came out here to talk to you two."

"I feel like I'm missing something."

"You are. Because you can be amazingly stupid and oblivious for someone so smart. Which brings me to my point - I'm splitting you two up. It's the end of an era."

"Okay, now I don't get it," Eddie says.

"Yeah, me neither, Sarge."  
"Do I have to spell it out? I already warned ya about this, Reagan, so you should be glad I'm not moving one of ya out of the twelve. I like you both too much to do that to myself."

"This is about..."

"Yeah, Harvard, you're gettin' there," he chuckles. "I'm splitting you two up because you are so obviously in love with each other. And you have been since you met. It's getting painful to watch."

"So let me get this straight," Eddie pauses, finding the right words. "You're splitting us up... so we can go out with each other? Really, Sarge?"

"That is exactly right, Officer Janko. Except you're already going out with each other."

"We are not!" Jamie exclaims. Eddie raises an eyebrow at him.

"You are. She gets it, Reagan, listen to her 'cause I'd really like to see you get married before I die." With that, Sergeant Renzulli stands up and leaves, clapping Jamie on the shoulder as he walks by.

"Wow," Jamie says once he's gone.

"Wow..." Eddie echoes.

"Alright."

"How was you interview?" she asks to distract him.

"It was fine. Baez said they think they have a guy?"

"Yeah, one of my dad's old clients. He's... a jerk," she waves a hand dismissively. "Anyway, guess what I did while you were gone!"

"What'd you do?" he smiles, reclaiming his seat next to her.

"I talked to Danny, of course, but then he left and Rey came in to tell me she was leaving. So you just missed her. But this is the important part: the doctors came in and Morales, the main one, said that if everything stays fine I might get released tomorrow! And then they took out my chest tube - which hurt like a bitch, but that's why they make pain meds," she shrugs. "I'm gonna have some wicked scars."

Jamie just looks at her at that - the look that's just so... _Jamie_ that she doesn't know how else to describe it.

"What're you gonna do with all that time when you get out?" he sighs, and she laughs.

"I dunno. Watch shitty shows on Netflix? Try to sleep without having nightmares."

"Oh."

"Have you slept, Jamie?"

"Yeah, Reyan and I crashed at your place actually, but I was so exhausted I didn't think. I just fell asleep and didn't dream. I don't know what'll happen if I just try to sleep."

"You crashed at my place?"

"That's what I said."

"I thought that sweatshirt looked familiar..."

"This is mine. You stole this."

"Is this what Sarge meant when he said we were already going out?"

"Yeah, I think I see what he means now."

"Sometimes I really wonder how you ever got into Harvard."


	10. A Night Alone

Before he leaves for the night, Jamie gets a comprehensive list of everything Eddie needs from her apartment. It includes four words in her messy handwriting: _go-bag - bottom of closet._

"And I want my sweatshirt back!" she calls after him as he leaves. He just shakes his head.

* * *

He takes a cab back to Eddie's apartment and leaves the meter running while he runs up to get her bag. Then he goes to his own place back in Brooklyn. Erin brought his car back from the 12th the day before and it's right where she promised it'd be. There's not a scratch on it, even though he could swear one shot hit the car and even though Erin drove all the way to Brooklyn in it.

Inside, his apartment feels frozen in time - they way your house always does when you've left for a while. He drops the go-bag next to the door so he can't forget, pulls off the sweatshirt and drops it on top, and goes to shower. For the first time in forever, it feels too quiet with just him. The silence blankets everything.

When the gets out of the shower, he changes into pajamas and flips the TV on quietly in his room - less to watch and more to give him some noise. He lays in bed in the dim light - the screen flickering across the walls and the constant glow of the city outside keep him from ever being in full darkness - and it's impossible to sleep. It's not quiet and it's not dark, and it almost never is, but tonight he can't stop thinking. Every time he closes his eyes he sees the blood on the snow. And with his eyes open he just thinks over what Renzulli said, and Danny, and the hundreds of comments from Erin over the years. _How could be be so stupid?_

At 12:22, Jamie is still wide awake, staring at the bright green numbers on the clock and listening to the constant hum of the city below him. He can't stop thinking about where he was at 12:22 only three days ago. He was so sure that he was going to lose her - just like he'd lost Vinny. But he didn't lose her - she'll still always be right there beside him, but it won't be the same. He can't decide what to think about Renzulli's announcement. He doesn't want a new partner, especially one he might not even know, but he does want Eddie. His mind spins the situation around every possible way, and just can't let it go.

Sometime around one in the morning, Jamie drifts off into a restless sleep. He's still tormented by the flashes of memory in his mind's eye - sometimes so vivid that we wakes with a start, breathing rapidly and close to tears. Each time he wakes up like this he can't help but wonder how Eddie's doing back at the hospital. He wonders if her night has been like his or, more likely, worse.

* * *

When he gets up to Eddie's room it's later than usual - just before noon. She's sitting cross-legged on the bed, blankets drawn up over her legs, and her hair is wet. She's talking quietly with his dad, who's sitting in the corner.

"Commissoner," he says, walking in and setting Eddie's bag on the foot of the bed.

"Jamie."

"Dad," he amends. "What are you doing up here this morning?"

"I thought I'd come talk with Officer Janko here, see how's she's doing. And I'd like to speak with you."

"Oh boy."

"It won't kill you. C'mon, let's leave your... Let's leave her to get ready to leave," Frank Reagan says, leading Jamie into the hall.

"Do I call her your girlfriend?" his father asks quietly. That's possibly the last thing Jamie expected to hear from his dad, and it takes him a moment to process it before his brain starts working again.

"I don't know?" he says, more like a question than an answer. "I take it you heard about Renzulli's plan."

"Oh, yes." Frank nods very seriously. "Money's exchanging hands today in the NYPD."

"Can't wait for Sunday dinner," Jamie laughs nervously. "And havin' to talk with Danny later..."

"Jamie, I still expect to see you at dinner Sunday."

"Yes, sir, I know."

"I want you to stay with her for the week though. Until Erich Dreher is locked up and we know she'll be safe on her own, and she's doing better with that gunshot wound, you don't leave her alone."

"So I'm the police presence except I also have to make sure she doesn't do anything stupid? Yeah, I can do that. I already do."

"Good. We'll see you two Sunday." His father turns away and heads toward the elevators with his security detail as the realization dawns on Jamie.

"Wait, what?" he calls after his father. Frank doesn't turn around, but Jamie can tell he's laughing.

* * *

His phone rings in his pocket as Eddie walks out into the hall, trying to pull her jacket on without moving too much. _Danny_ the screen reads, so he accepts the call.

"Hey, Danny, what's up?" he answers, holding one finger up to Eddie. _One minute._

"...That's good. Yeah, I'm sure she can ID him," he says after a moment. There's another short pause as Danny speaks.  
"I don't think that'll go over well... Because they hate each other for one."

"What?" Eddie stage whispers to him. He just shakes his head.

"Okay, we'll see you soon. Bye," he slides the phone back into his jacket pocket, then takes a deep breath before he explains:

"Danny and Baez got a warrant to search Erich Dreher's place for the gun. They found it, and they've got him in custody right now. So you're gonna have to ID him," he looks to Eddie. "They're also goin' down to the prison to talk to Armin. And - now _this_ is the fun part - they've tracked down your mother and brought her down to the precinct all the way from Poughkeepsie - you never told me you were from Poughkeepsie, by the way - to find out what she knows about our friend Dreher..."

"Oh God, what'd she do," Eddie sighs.

"Well, she's clearly not a fan of the NYPD, but instead of outright _refusing_ to speak to the detectives... she's talking, but exclusively in Serbian."

"No..." Eddie covers her face, horrified.

"Danny wants you to talk to her and translate for them."

"Two problems with that-"

"Yeah... That's when I said it wouldn't go over well."

"One: I'm NYPD, if you didn't know, and she has a bit of _thing_ against us. Two: On all levels except legal my mother disowned me when she found out I was dropping out of the NYU Finance program to pursue criminal justice. So, yeah. She will not talk to me."

"Understandable. Either way, we're going down to the 5-4 to help everyone's favorite detectives. Come on, Janko, let's get out of here," Jamie smiles, putting an arm around her shoulders like always. She leans into him, reaching up to take his hand.


	11. Lost in Translatiom

"Your daughter's here to translate for you," Danny tells Iskra Janko as Eddie's walking into the precinct.

" _Nemam_ _kćerku_ ," Iskra replies. Danny sighs heavily, leaning against the interrogation room wall. There's a metallic click as the door swings open and Eddie walks in. She pulls out the chair across from her mother and sits.

"How's it goin', Danny?"

"Your mother is a real fun person to talk to."

"Why don't you wanna talk to Danny, mom? He probably won't hurt you."

" _Ja_ _nisam_ _tvoja_ _majka_."

"Great, thanks. Unfortunately for you, you never legally disowned me."

"What'd she say?" Danny asks tiredly.

"She's apparently not my mother."

"Perfect! Let's get to the point then. Iskra, what do you know about Erich Dreher?"

" _Bio je lepo dete - dobar prijatelj mog muža. Nisam ga video godinama_."

"She says - and I quote - 'He was a nice kid - a good friend of my husband's. I haven't seen him in years.'"

"Nice kid, huh? We think he shot Eddie here. So try again: Was there anything strange about him?"

" _Ne_. _Ali kada je Armin uhapšen, bio je veoma uznemiren_."

"No, but when Armin was arrested, he was very upset."

" _Došao je u našu kuću i zakleo mi se da neće oprostiti ovome_."

"She said that he came to our house afterwards and he swore that he wouldn't forgive what my father did... Something I didn't know," she glances back at Danny. "She's also leaving out the part where asked me out when I was seventeen."

" _To nije relevantno_."

"I didn't say it was relevant, Iskra. I'm just saying that it was creepy. He was like thirty."

"What kinda car did he drive?" Danny interjects with a frown.

"Black 1981 Monte Carlo," Iskra responds, this time in barely accented English. Eddie nods.

"That's really all I needed. We can get someone to drive you back to Poughkeepsie, ma'am."

"I'd like to talk to her first," Eddie says, looking into her mother's deep brown eyes. That's really their only difference in appearance. Both women are about the same height with the same dirty blonde hair, though Iskra's is graying ever so slightly, but Eddie has ocean blue eyes while her mother's are dark.

"Alright," Danny concedes, leaning back against the wall.

"Where did I go wrong, Iskra?" Eddie starts, her voice soft and hurt.

Her mother replies confidently. "You abandoned us and you went to work for the men who put your father away."

"I didn't abandon you. I left that house because I was tired of the cameras and the reporters trying to get into what little privacy I had left. I moved to Boston because I realized what I really wanted to do: law enforcement. And I'm proud of that decision. The cops aren't the reason my father is in prison - that's because he stole thousands of dollars from his clients. I couldn't be like him.

"Boston was good for me. No one knew who I was and I got better there. I was happy with what I was doing. And I went to therapy for almost three years."

"Why?" Iskra interrupts. If there's any concern in her voice neither Danny nor Eddie an tell.

"I went to therapy because I had to deal with everything that had happened. I didn't trust anyone for a long time after everything and that doesn't work. Especially in the NYPD. When I graduated and moved to the city, I was just starting to let myself get close to people again. So when I graduated the Academy and I had to learn to trust my partner making split second decisions out on the street, it was hard. Everything I've had to work for is due to my father and to you. And some due to my college experiences, but that's not the point. The point is that the 'Admin Janko Scandal' or whatever you want to call it, really messed with my head. To deal with it I became a completely different person. If you don't like that it's not my fault."

"You like what you're doing?"

"Yeah, I do. I might have just gotten shot, but I like what I'm doing and I like who I am. I can trust people again. In fact, I have a boyfriend and I trust him more than anyone."

"Is that where you got the Harvard shirt?"

"You ask a lot of questions. But yeah, it's his. His name's Jamie and he went to Harvard Law." Iskra nods approvingly. Behind her Danny's having some sort of coughing fit.

"And now he's a beat cop," Eddie smirks at her mother. "You okay there, Detective Reagan?"

"Can we wrap this up? I think there's a chance I just won a very large bet."

"Yeah," Eddie says. "I think we're done here."

* * *

Jamie's car smells familiar - like coffee, and aftershave, and home. She breathes it all in as she pulls her seatbelt on.

"How was it?" Jamie asks.

"Oh, you know, about as I expected. She doesn't agree with any of my life choices and wishes she'd legally disowned me. But we did get her to talk about Dreher and Danny's getting her to identified his car."

"Wow."

"She's welcome to disown me anytime," Eddie shrugs. "She does like the idea of me having a boyfriend who went to Harvard Law, though. She thinks it's absolutely ridiculous, but she likes it. She just doesn't like the part where said boyfriend is a New York City cop."

"I feel loved."

"Just be glad you don't have to take her back to Poughkeepsie. I think they're putting that job on some poor rookie." She pauses for a second. "Speaking of my boyfriend, Danny happened to be in the room when this happened... He connected the dots and he was honestly more surprised than I would've expected. He thinks he won the bet at the 5-4 though."

"He was gonna find out one way or another. I wonder who's gonna win it at 1PP."

"What about at the 12?"

"Oh, I'll bet Renzulli's got it... So Eddie, since I'm staying with you for this week at least, and I'm apparently not allowed to leave you alone, my dad has invited you..." He stops glancing over at her.

"Finish the sentence, Reagan."

"He's invited you to Sunday dinner," Jamie says hurriedly.

"And you?"

"I mean, yeah, I want you to come. Only if you want, of course. I didn't know if you'd be okay with going. He's our boss, not just my dad, after all."

"I would love to come. I'm honored, actually. But be warned, Jamie, I haven't been to a proper family dinner or any sort of religious thing since I moved to Boston."

"When the hell did you move to Boston?"

"After my dad got arrested, I dropped out of NYU and moved out. I got accepted into Boston University to do criminal justice instead of finance, so I moved to Boston and I lived there until I graduated and went back to New York for the Academy."

"The more you know... But wait, your mom thinks it's crazy that you could get a guy who went to Harvard? You do realize - well, she does, I guess - that both NYU and Boston are crazy hard to get into?"

"In her mind I'm somehow the stereotypical dumb blonde," Eddie rolls her eyes.

 **AN: Hi, I managed to figured out what I was doing with this. I don't really like it but it's fine. This is also my formal apology for a) using google translate for all of the Serbian (I only know like three sentences worth, okay?) and b) completely forgetting the timeline of this story. It might get a bit messy with how many days have passed... I don't know. I'm trying to figure every out. - itwasit**


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